I didn't just read a book in print，on an e-reader or even on a mobile phone．Instead，I read a book on dozens of devices．I was not trying to set a Guinness World Record．I wanted to answer a question I often hear： 1. ? So I set out to try them all，reading a chapter on each：the Amazon Kindle，the first and second generation Apple iPads and mobile phones．To be fair，I also read a chapter in that old-fashioned；form—a print book．
The book I chose was The Alienist．For the first chapter，I turned to an Amazon Kindle．2. ．The kinder is light．Its six-inch screen is the perfect size for reading，and reading on its black-and-white-E-Ink display doesn’t harm your eyes． 3. ，and on average you charge the device only once a month．My only complaint with the Kindle design was the placement of the keyboard at the bottom of the device．
Despite the small screen on a mobile phone，I found reading on one to be simpie and satisfactory．4. ，but all of the phones on which I read chapters felt somewhat similar．
If I had wanted to，I could have bought my book through dozens of e-book apps in the Apple App Store．Most are free and offer access to thousands of free e-books or paid versions．Both iPads l&2 offer an immersive(身临其境的)reading experience．I found myself jumping back and forth between my book and the web，looking up old facts and pictures of New York City．5. ．
For the last chapters of the book，I read the print one，which is still my favourite choice．
Since we are comparing devices So I guess I need to choose one．In the end it might come down to Kindle．But if money is tight，go for print．My used print book cost only $4 from Amazon．
A．Battery life is outstanding
B．Which e-reader is the best for reading books
C．Shopping on Amazon for the Kindle is simple
D．Should students make use of the devices to read
E．No wonder a lot of readers also speak highly of it
F．Reading on the Amazon Kindle is a joy in many aspects
G．The brightness and size of the mobile phone’s screen did vary
No one is sure how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids near Cairo．But a new study suggests they used a little rock’n’roll．Long ago builders could have attached wooden poles to the stones and rolled them across the sand，the scientists say．
“Technically，I think what they’re proposing is possible．”physicist Daniel Bonn said．
People have long puzzled over how the Egyptians moved such huge rocks．And there’s no obvious answer．On average，each of the two million big stones weighed about as much as a large pickup truck．The Egyptians somehow moved the stone blocks to the pyramid site from about one kilometer away．
The most popular view is that Egyptian workers slid the blocks along smooth paths．Many scientists suspect workers first would have put the blocks on sleds．Then they would have dragged them along paths．To make the work easier，workers may have lubricated the paths either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle．Bonn has now tested this idea by building small sleds and dragging heavy objects over sand．
Evidence from the sand supports this idea．Researchers found small amounts of fat，as well as a large amount of stone and the remains of paths．
However，phyficmt Josepn West thought there might have been a simpler way，who led the new study．West said，“I was inspired while watching a television program showing how sleds might have helped with pyramid construction．I thought，“Why don’t they just try rolling the things?”A square could be turned into a rough sort of wheel by attaching wooden poles to its sides，he realized．That，he noted，should make a block of stone“a lot easier to roll than a square”．
So he tried it．
He and his students tied some poles to each of four sides of a 30-kilogram stone block．That action turned the block into somewhat a wheel．Then they placed the block on the ground．
They wrapped one end of a rope around the block and pulled．The researchers found they could easily roll the block along different kinds of paths．They calculated that rolling the block required about as much force as moving it along a slippery path．
West hasn’t tested his idea on larger blocks，but he thinks rolling has clear advantages over sliding．At least，workers wouldn’t have needed to carry cattle fat or water to smooth the paths．
1.It’s widely believed that the stone blocks were moved to the pyramid site by______．
A. rolling them on roads B. pushing them over the sand
C. sliding them on smooth paths D. dragging them on some poles、
2.The underlined part“lubricated the paths”in Paragraph 4 means“_______”．
A. made the paths wet B. made the paths slippery
C. made the paths wide D. made the paths hard
3.Why is rolling better than sliding according to West?
A. Because more force is needed for sliding．
B. Because less preparation on paths is needed for rolling．
C. Because sliding on smooth roads is more dangerous．
D. Because rolling work can be done by fewer cattle．
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. An experiment on ways of moving blocks to the pyramid site．
B. An application of the method of moving blocks to the pyramid site．
C. An argument about different methods of moving blocks to the pyramid site．
D. An introduction to a possible new way of moving blocks to the pyramid site．
Dolphin or not a dolphin? That is the question! You see，there are several types of dolphins．Some are saltwater dolphins while others are river dolphins．
“What are the 32 types of dolphins?”When people are asking the question，they are actually referring to the saltwater dolphins in oceans and seas．The river dolphins living in fresh water are not included in these species．But what would be the answer in this case if we ask．“Dolphin or not a dolphin?”The answer would obviously be yes．River dolphins still belong to the dolphin family．
Among the 32 types of dolphins do not actually wear the word“dolphin”in their names，such as the tucuxi，while others actually have the word“whale”as part of their names even if they are not whales but in fact，belong to the dolphin family，for example，the melon-headed whale and the killer whale．So what would be the answer to the question“Dolphin or not a dolphin?”in these cases? It would’be yes．All these species do belong to the dolphin family．
Another question that people ask is．“Are the sea animals that perform at aquariums(水族馆)all dolphins?”So，it always seems to come back to the question，“Dolphin or not a dolphin?”Well the answer is no in this case．The sea animals that perform there are not all dolphins．The beluga which people tend to think belong to the dolphin family because they show what seems like a smile，like most dolphins，are in fact a species of the whale family．
Now that you read these facts about dolphins，you probably realize that certain sea animals may appear to be part of the dolphin species and that others seem to be part of the whale family but in either case，it is not obvious and can be surprising when you identify a sea animal as being a dolphin or not a dolphin．That is the question ！
1.Which of the following statements about dolphins is RIGHT according to the passage?
A. The tucuxi is a type of dolphin living in rivers．
B. There are 32 types of dolphins in the world altogether．
C. All the sea animals that perfom at aquariums are dolphins．
D. The melon-headed whale and the killer whale actually belong to the dolphin family．
2.What do we know about the majority of the dolphins?
A. They appear friendly． B. They perform for audience．
C. They look like whales． D. They live in fresh water．
3.What could be added about dolphins before the last paragraph if you were the author?
A. The living areas of dolphins．
B. Training of dolphins at aquariums．
C. The eating habits of dolphins．
D. Further identification of dolphins．
4.This article can be classified as_________．
A. a news report B. 1iterary fiction
C. popular science D. a travel diary
Last year，three experienced storm chasers were killed in a tornado(龙卷风)in the US，but despite this the number of people going in search of tornadoes is growing．What drives them to take risks and look for danger? The man at the wheel glanced in the back-view mirror and then slowly turned around．“Don’t put this in your program．”he said．His wife in the passenger seat laughed．He lowered the window and killed the engine．The wind rushed in from surrounding wheat fields．
Then，from behind，the sound of footsteps approached on the dirt road．It was a moment of peace after hours of speedy racing through the American grassland．There had been excited shouts about where a tornado might form and how we would be there if it did．We were crazy on the trail a moment ago．But now，everyone was very coo1．A Kansas state trooper(骑警) introduced himself through the window．There was pretended surprise when he said how fast we had been going．Really? Wow，sorry．
Val Cator handed over his ariver’s license．His wife，Amy，took the registration out of the glove box．Val explained they were storm chasers with Channel 9 News out of Oklahoma City—though it was hardly necessary．Their huge black truck has lightning bolts(闪电)and Storm Tracker 9 painted on the sides．
Val pointed to the radar on the laptop open next to him and said those red and green dots suggested a tornado could form this afternoon．The state trooper was untouched．“I've got that in my car too．”he said．People here keep a close eye on the weather．It’s part of living in the tornado alley．Every year some town or other is blown off the map by tornadoes that can reach 300 miles an hour．
Val and Amy are just two of hundreds of possibly thousands of trackers who speed around with computers and cameras hoping to catch one of these beautiful，deadly storms．I'd joined them to learn why the number of trackers keeps growing．Why are people taking real risks—beyond the steady diet of rest-stop junk food—to watch weather?
Last year，a tornado killed three of the most experienced storm chasers．It picked up and threw their car as easily as you would a piece of paper．Dozens of other chasers were hurt in the same storm．They were crowded on a few roads when the tornado suddenly expanded and ate them．Val and Amy were there that day but still，in their words，chase aggressively．
1.Why did everyone calm down after being crazy?
A. Because they reached grassland．
B. Because a tornado would come．
C. Because a trooper stopped their car．
D. Because they were cool on the trail．
2.What could show Val Cator’s profession?
A. His driver’s license．
B. The glove box．
C. The signs painted on his truck’s sides．
D. The news of Oklahoma City．
3.Which word can be used to describe Val and Amy?
A. Hard-working． B. Adventurous．
C. Generous． D. Humorous．
4.The passage is mainly about______．
A. a program about storm chasers
B. the possible dangers that storm chasers face
C. the most violent tornado in the US
D. some people who want to be close to tornadoes
1.According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher，Wally______．
A. is too talkative in the class
B. 1ikes to work with his classmates
C. doesn’t exercise his body at the right time
D. becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all
2.Which of Wally’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?
A. Biology and Maths． B. History and French．
C. English and Chemistry． D. Physics and Physical Education．
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the report?
A. Wally didn’t bother his teacher to revise French．
B. Wally’s potential has been fully reflected in his exam work．
C. Wally’s grade in maths makes him a born scientist．
D. Wally needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects．
假如你是李华，下个月8号是你的加拿大笔友Smith的生日，你给他寄了200克中国绿茶作为礼物。请你给他写一封信，要点如下：
1. 向他表达生日祝福；
2. 介绍中国的茶文化（4000多年历史、种类繁多、好处等）；
3. 希望他将来有机会来中国时体验中国茶文化；请他介绍加拿大咖啡文化。
注意：1. 词数100左右，（开头结尾已给出，不计入词数）；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Smith,
How time flies! ___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
